De novo
by FireEdge
Summary: [Contains spoilers for GS5/Dual Destinies] For the first time in seven years, Simon Blackquill looked forward to the coming of the New Year... Because, this time, he had something to look forward to. [Eventual Blackquill/Athena]
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies.

* * *

_**De novo**_

**Prologue**

* * *

**_December 31, 2027 – 11:59 PM  
Wright Anything Agency_**

"Ten! ... Nine! ... Eight!"

Though there was barely enough space to fit their bodies in the cluttered office space, a cluster of people was gathered around the television, a flute of champagne or sparkling water in their hands as they chanted the countdown.

"... Seven! ... Six! ... Five!"

The television screen was projecting the live coverage of a New Year's Eve event. It used to be located in the city centre, but has since become such a large affair that the organizers had had to move it outside the city limits in order to accommodate the numbers.

The camera was fixed on a large, outdoor stage, where live bands and performers had been entertaining the crowds since 8:00 PM. Now, the stage was occupied by a giant, electronic countdown made of neon and LED lights.

"... Four! ... Three! ... Two!"

Simon Blackquill's eyes moved away from the television screen and fixed itself on the profile of an orange-haired young woman. As if sensing his gaze, Athena Cykes turned her head and caught his eyes with a big smile as she joined the others in a loud and triumphant: "ONE! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Everyone around the television cheered and 'clinked' their glasses before downing the contents. Being several feet away from them, he didn't bother to raise his glass – after all, who was he supposed to direct a 'Cheers' at? Himself? Instead, he glanced down at his flute of champagne, and catching his reflection in the not-quite-clear liquid, suddenly realized how wondrous it was that he was even standing there at all.

"Cheers, Simon!"

Suddenly, Athena was standing in front of him, and her own glass had already 'clinked' against his. As her hand moved away, he noticed that her flute was still full… and the liquid inside was the same colour as his own. Then, the rim of the glass was against her lips and the contents disappeared.

"You're supposed to say 'Cheers' back, you know!" she teased lightly as she lowered her glass.

He moved his gaze away from her empty flute and caught her eyes in an intense stare.

"Athena… … … Should you really be consuming alcohol…." he replied instead, and smirked as her eyebrows shot up and her mouth fell open. Somehow, it always felt satisfying to surprise her. Raising his own glass, he drained the contents in one fluid movement.

"Hmph. Did you really think I would not notice?" he asked, as he placed the empty flute on a nearby table.

"Hahaha…. Well… kind of… It was only a little bit! It's not like it's illegal, technically! Mr. Wright bought it, after all!" she answered sheepishly. Her cheeks were already tinged slightly pink, though he couldn't be sure that it wasn't from her embarrassment at being caught red-handed.

Before either of them could say anything more, a young girl in a magician's hat bounced up to them. Trucy was her name, if he recalled correctly.

"Athena! We're going outside to set off some firecrackers!" she announced before following the others out of the door of the office.

For a moment, he had forgotten there were other people around… Which was odd, considering how noisy they were.

"C'mon, Simon, let's follow them! This should be fun!" Athena exclaimed, as she turned towards the door.

As she turned away from him, his hand unconsciously shot out and grabbed her forearm. The young woman turned around to look at him in surprise, and for a moment he was just as confused as she was. However, a split second later, he dropped her arm.

"… Happy New Year…" he murmured. For some reason, he felt odd. He could not put his finger on it, but it almost felt like his mind was not attached to his body. Like everything was barely real. And, for a moment, his heart jumped in his chest – was this a dream?

Suddenly, he felt a soft warmth engulf his torso and he looked down in shock.

"… It must have been so long since you've been able to say that…" said Athena, her voice slightly muffled, as her face was pressed against his coat. "Happy New Year, Simon…"

Then, she loosened her embrace and pulled away from him before he could react. He blinked several times before he was able to focus on her face again. Her eyes were slightly teary, but her lips were curled into a warm smile.

"This is your first New Year's out of prison… Though it's definitely the first of many! You should think of a good New Year's resolution! To start off your new… well, new year!" she said, all traces of tears gone now. "But, anyway, we'd better hurry up and catch up to everyone or all of the firecrackers will be gone! Knowing Trucy and Apollo, they'll light them all before I have a chance!"

"Hmph…. Lead the way," he replied with a small smile. With a big grin, Athena nodded and dashed out the doors, though she briefly glanced back to make sure he was following.

As he strode leisurely after her, it suddenly hit him. He had finally figured out what that feeling was… It was the same feeling he had felt nearly two weeks ago… when the shackles had come off his wrists.

Several feet ahead of him, Athena and the others were standing in a circle in the small, empty lot next to the Wright Anything Agency's office. Apollo was crouched on the ground, a lighter in hand. However, suddenly, Athena bumped him out of the way and accosted the lighter, yelling: "WAIT! LET ME TRY!"

The flame of the lighter illuminated the young woman's face briefly before it disappeared. The flame was quickly replaced by the sputtering fuse of the firecracker, and then it was spinning around on the pavement with a hissing sound, flashing multiple colours.

Gazing at Athena again, who was staring in delight at the spinning firecracker, he replayed her words again in his head. When he thought about it, she was right. For seven years, he had not said 'Happy New Year' to anyone, though the prison always held a small, unofficial celebration – not that he ever participated. And, for seven years, he had made the same New Year's resolution… What was it supposed to be, now that he was a free man?

Suddenly, Athena and Trucy shrieked as the firecracker started popping loudly in series of small explosions. The young woman turned to him and flashed him a sheepish smile before diverting her attention back to lighting more firecrackers.

_Hmph… I suppose there really is no reason to change it._

* * *

Thank you for reading! This is my first time writing for the Ace Attorney fandom, though I've always wanted to write for it… However, inspiration was always flakey for me… That is, until I beat Dual Destinies the other day. It's definitely my new favourite instalment in the series, both story-wise and game mechanics-wise. However, what really sold it for me was Athena and Blackquill (he may have just stolen the spot as my favourite prosecutor).

I absolutely love both of their characters individually, and I adore them together as a couple. In my opinion, they have such a beautiful bond with each other which I strongly believe can (and will…!) become romantic. I was pretty disappointed that there have been no fanfiction of them so far (though I suppose it's only been a few weeks since the English release)… And I just ended up being so consumed by this pairing (to the absolute detriment of my school work, sigh), and there were so many ideas that kept spinning around, I had to get something down in writing. So, here it is.

Anyway, I'll stop babbling now. Basically, I intend for this to be a multi-chaptered story that follows Blackquill as he goes through his first year out of prison (with gratuitous amounts of Athena). I hope I'll be able to capture his character well, but either way, it'll be a good experience.

I'm not sure when the next chapter will be coming out (though all of the story has been plotted out), since I am extremely busy with school…. And even more so now thanks to Dual Destinies eating up my life the past few days (urgh). There should be an update by the end up the month, though!

Thanks so much for reading, and please drop a review if you want to encourage me, hinthint! I hope to see you next chapter (there will be much shorter author's notes, next time, I swear).

FireEdge

P.S. The 'book cover' image does not belong to me/I did not create it. It was from Pixiv and was posted (and I assume created) by the user 310.


	2. January

Disclaimer: I do not own Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies.

* * *

_**De novo**_

**Chapter 1: January**

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_**January 3, 2028 – 7:03 AM  
Prosecutor's Building – 10th Floor Hallway**_

As Simon strode down the hallway, he could feel his heart pounding against his chest. The paperwork had finally all been cleared and he had been assigned an office again. Today was his first official day back at work in the Prosecutions Office.

Stopping in front of one of the many wooden doors that lined the hall, the black-clad prosecutor dug into his pant pocket and pulled out a key. As he turned it in the lock, he held his breathe, afraid that it might not open – maybe it was because he hadn't seen the inside yet, but it all felt too good to be true. Only two weeks ago, he had thought that he was a dead man… but, here he was, back to working the job that he loved.

The door creaked open and Simon reached along the wall to turn on the light switch. The office was clean, but bare. Several mostly empty bookshelves lined the walls, and a solid wooden desk stood in the middle of the room, along with several plush chairs. A number of cardboard boxes containing his numerous legal and psychology textbooks, as well as some of his personal belongings, were piled on the floor near the door. He had sent them ahead to his office last week from Aura's condo, where they had been stored during his prison sentence.

Walking behind his desk, he pulled out the high-backed office chair and set down his briefcase before settling himself into the chair and resting his palms on the desk's smooth surface. The wood was solid beneath his hands and slightly cool to the touch.

And, in the solitude of his office, away from the prying eyes of those who still questioned his integrity—after all, though he may be innocent, he had still spent seven years amongst the scum of society, and not everyone believed he was really innocent—Simon Blackquill couldn't help burying his face into his hands.

If he had had any tears left, he was sure he would have been crying in happiness, but his tears had dried up seven years ago. However, now that he was seated in his office again and was sure—because the past few weeks had just felt hazy to him—that this was not all some crazy trick his brain had created out of desperation, it finally hit him.

_This_ was real. He finally had his life back again.

* * *

_**January 3, 2028 – 11:48 AM  
Prosecutor's Building – Prosecutor Blackquill's Office**_

Knock-knock-knock.

"… You may enter," Simon called towards the door, without looking up from the book in front of him. He had spent all morning sorting through his textbooks, determining which were still relevant now that so many years had passed. So far, he had had to mark up almost all of them as out-of-date… His first paycheque was going to be in the negatives at this rate with the amount of new materials he would need to procure…

"Surprise! It's me!" a familiar voice exclaimed as he heard his office door shut.

"… Athena… What are you doing here?" he asked, finally looking up.

"It's your first day back to work! I thought I'd stop by and take you out for a congratulatory lunch!" the young woman replied with a big smile. "Oh, and I brought you something… Well, a few things… HURGH!"

SLAM!

He couldn't help but jump a bit in his seat as Athena hefted a large canvass bag onto the desk.

"These are some of the textbooks I was using to study up on the law here before I joined Mr. Wright! The office has a copy of all of these ones, so I don't really know what to do with them. But, I figured maybe you might need them, since you haven't had the chance to get the new editions of books lately!"

Simon blinked in surprise and looked up to meet Athena's eyes. He could not believe the coincidence of it all… What were the chances that she would come by with this… Not that he would complain.

"… Hmph… It seems you were able to read my mind again… I humbly accept your gift," he replied with a smirk, as he stood up from his chair.

Looking into the bag and shifting through some of the books, he was pleased to see that some of the books he had wanted to buy were indeed there.

"Oh, and there's one more thing I wanted to give you! It's an office-warming present!" Athena chirped.

The young woman thrust a small, rectangular box into his face. It was about the length of his hand and a bright yellow ribbon was tied around it… along with a winking smiley face sticker.

"Go ahead! Open it! I picked it out with Mr. Wright yesterday… I'm not sure if you'll find much use for it, but it looked really cool… and it just seemed to have 'Prosecutor Blackquill' written all over it, and Mr. Wright was pretty convinced prosecutors liked this kinda stuff… Or was he just talking about Mr. Edgeworth…? Well, he mentioned something about 'fancy-schmancy, expensive toys'—not that it was super expensive even though it kinda looks like it and I definitely didn't spend my entire last paycheque to pay for it, so don't worry about that!" she blurted out frantically and red-faced, panting slightly.

Simon could not help but stare at her, slightly wide-eyed, and unsure if he should actually respond… But then decided it was probably best if he kept his mouth shut and just opened the box. Sliding off the ribbon, he lifted the lid of the box off… and found a fountain pen shaped as a feather.

"... You know, when I was shopping around for something to give you, I couldn't figure out what you might like for your office, since you're so practical… But… I'm not sure if I'm remembering it wrong, but I remember… back… back at the Space Centre, I thought you mentioned that you'd always wanted a fountain pen… because… because Mom always used one, and you always admired how smoothly they wrote…"

Simon felt a stab of pain in his heart as Athena mentioned Dr. Cykes, not only because of the fact that, even seven years later, it still pained him to think about his mentor's untimely death, but also because of the tremor he heard in Athena's voice when she had spoken just now. He may not have Athena's ability to hear others' emotions in their voices, but even he could pick up the grief that she still felt when she talked about her mother.

Glancing up, the prosecutor noted that Athena's eyes were downcast, her right hand grasping her other arm tightly. Seven years later, that expression she made when she was sad had not changed… and he almost reached out a hand to stroke her hair like he used to when she was feeling down, but caught himself before he followed through.

How could he forget? She was no longer the small and innocent girl that she was seven years ago. Athena was a full-grown woman now, and he highly doubted that she would appreciate being patted on the head like a child… especially by a man she had not seen for seven years.

Instead, the prosecutor turned the pen over in his hands a few times and marvelled at the craftsmanship… and at how Athena had managed to remember such a mundane detail from at least seven years ago… He had barely remembered it himself, but as he gazed at the pen, the memories of Metis Cykes writing page after page of notes as he studied beside her rushed back to him. His mentor had been the most graceful person he had ever met, and, at least in his opinion, her grace never displayed itself so prominently as when she wrote. Despite being a scientist of sorts, Dr. Cykes had never seemed to like taking notes on the computer; as far as he could remember, he had always only seen her take notes by hand. He remembered now, how she always wrote with a fountain pen, her hand flowing across the page without ever smudging the ink.

"Athena… Thank you. The pen is beautiful… And you remembered correctly," he said softly, coming out of his reverie.

"R-Really?" she stammered, eyes looking up at him, having been pulled out of her own thoughts, it would seem.

"Yes…"

"Oh, thank goodness you like it…!" the young woman said, clutching a hand to her chest with a sigh. Her melancholy seemed to have subsided for now, much to his relief. "Because it was definitely non-refundable… and I can't write with those things for my life… I always make a huge mess…"

As he set down the pen on the stand that accompanied, he noticed the name of the pen's brand.

"Athena… While the craftsmanship of this pen is superb, and this brand is, by no means second-rate… This brand of fountain pens is on the lower end of the price spectrum… I cannot imagine it would have cost more than $300…" he remarked. "And while I do not mean to downplay the significance of your generous gift… I am a little concerned by what you just said… Because it would imply that your last paycheque was less than $300…"

"Oh… Uh… Ahahahaha… You know, work at the office has been pretty slow since our trial… Returning cats to old ladies doesn't pay much, apparently…"

* * *

_**January 3, 2028 – 12:15 PM  
Hana Sushi**_

"Please have a seat here and take your time with the menu!" the waitress chirped as Simon and Athena seated themselves. "Can I get you anything to drink to get started?"

"… Do you genmaicha?" Simon asked.

"Yes! I'll bring a pot out for you right away!" replied the waitress before retreating to the sushi bar. As she approached it, he heard her call out to one of the chefs in a distinctly non-English language as she handed an order to him from one of the other tables.

"What are you smirking at, Simon?" Athena asked, staring at him curiously.

"Nothing, really. Only that I find it amusing that this sushi restaurant is run by Koreans," he answered.

"What?! Really?! I thought they were Japanese this entire time! I've been eating here for months!" Athena exclaimed, her jaw dropping.

"Well, most people cannot tell the difference between Japanese and Korean… or Chinese, for that matter, especially if they are not familiar with the linguistics of any of those languages…" Simon replied, lacing his fingers together before him on the table. "Even though my own Japanese is limited, I can at least tell that they are not speaking Japanese… and I once met a Korean inmate in prison… He would always talk to himself, so I picked up on the sound of the language and recognized it just now with the waitress."

At that moment, the waitress returned to the table and set down a teapot with two small teacups.

"Here you are! Are you ready to order yet, or do you still need some more time?"

"I'll have the Bento Box lunch special, with the chicken karaage, please," Athena replied immediately. It seemed she did indeed come here frequently; she had not even glanced at the menu before responding.

"Ah, yes, your regular!" the waitress remarked with a small smile, scribbling it down on her notepad before turning to Simon. "I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting you before, sir. Since this is your first time at our restaurant, would you like a few more minutes to look at the menu?"

"If you would not mind, that would be appreciated," Simon answered, finally opening up his menu.

"No problem! I'll be back in a few minutes!"

"You know, I guess I kind of forgot that you're half Japanese… I hope the quality of the food here will match up to your tastes…" Athena remarked, once the waitress was out of earshot.

"Please don't concern yourself with something so trivial," he replied as his eyes scanned the menu. "Even before my imprisonment, I have not consumed 'real' Japanese food for many years. My taste buds probably cannot tell the difference between whether it is authentic or not."

"Oh, really? Why's that? I thought you said your mom was Japanese, so wouldn't she have cooked for you at home?" Athena asked, pouring some tea into both of their cups.

"… Hmph…. Now that I think about it… I suppose I never told you this before, but Aura and I were not born in Los Angeles. We were born in Honolulu, Hawaii, which was where we lived for most of our lives… until the two of us moved here because I had been accepted into Themis Legal Academy. Aura transferred out of the Manoa campus at the University of Hawaii and into Ivy University so that she could take care of me in place of our parents, since it would have been difficult for them to completely uproot their lives."

Looking up from his menu—he had decided that he would have also have a Bento Box lunch special, but with teriyaki beef instead—he couldn't help but smirk at Athena's facial expression.

"You look positively shocked."

"That would be an understatement…" she answered, though she had now recovered from her surprise and was smiling. "You know, even though I guess I've technically known you for a long time, and you know almost everything there is to know about me, there's a lot that I still have to learn about you, Simon…"

It was odd, when he thought about it. Though they had been through so much together, what the young defence lawyer had said was true. The last time they had really spent time together was when she was an 11 year-old girl, who had been more interested in playing games with him than talking about his personal history. But, now that he was a free man again and his every waking thought was not consumed by finding the Phantom, he realized that he could actually have meaningful relationships with other people again…

"… Well, I guess that means that we'll have to have lunch more often, then…" he said, hoping that she would not hear the hesitation in his voice. He found it very odd to ask someone out for lunch—after all, lunch time had been imposed in the clink, and you ate when, where and what you were told—even if that someone was the only person he could really call a… dare-he-think-it… friend.

It seemed that she had not noticed his apprehension, or if she did, she had chosen to ignore it, for the young woman before him smiled even more broadly than before.

"Yes! Of course! I'd love that!"

And he couldn't help but give a small smile back.

* * *

_**January 11, 2028 – 8:51 AM  
District Court – Courtroom No. 2**_

If it wasn't for his vigilant training, Simon knew that he would be fidgeting in his seat. However, years of training himself to master the art of… staying calm, for lack of a better term, allowed him to sit practically motionless in his seat as he overlooked the courtroom. Taka was perched on his shoulder, idly preening his feathers.

Though he did not turn his head to either side, he could see from the corner of his eyes that the other seats in the gallery were quickly filling up, though the seats on either side of his was conspicuously empty. He supposed that, having garnered so much media attention, this case would be popular… though he often wondered where people got so much time to come watch a trial, anyway, unless they were a reporter…

A flash of yellow caught his eye and he looked up to see Athena standing beside him.

"I'm assuming that this seat isn't taken. After all, with a look like that on your face, who would be brave enough to sit next to you?" she joked lightly before settling down next to him. Taka let out a short 'squawk' before flying up into the rafters to find a new perch. Perhaps he was moving too much for him.

"What are you doing here? I would have assumed you would not want to attend this trial," he murmured. His eyes flickered back to the courtroom and he saw that Phoenix Wright and Apollo Justice had entered the courtroom and were organizing their belongings at the defence's bench.

Last month, he had found himself at the Wright Anything Agency when he realized that his sister had refused to obtain legal counsel. He understood that she was still mistrustful of the law, but to self-represent in court, even if it was merely as a sentencing hearing, was foolish. Apollo had agreed to take on the case—apparently he and Aura had developed an odd friendship over the past month—and Wright, it would seem, was acting as his aide. Seeing the blue-suited lawyer stand in defence of his sister, despite having had his daughter held hostage by her, made Simon's respect for the older man grow more, if that were possible.

"I know Aura doesn't like me, and I definitely didn't appreciate that she accused me of my mother's murder, but… I can't say I really hold it against her…" Athena replied with a sad smile. "I know she really respected my mom and that they were really close friends. If Aura had been the one murdered, I'm sure Mom would have felt the same way."

_Not _quite_ the same way, _Simon absently remarked to himself, but knew better than to actually voice his thought.

"And anyway, it's thanks to her that everything was resolved… and that you're still alive. While I don't know if we could ever be friends, how could I deliberately hold a grudge against her?"

Simon glanced at the Athena's profile. The young lawyer's eyes were set on the courtroom before her, and her face was passive. For just a moment, he thought he saw Metis Cykes.

"… You have really matured over these past few years…" he remarked with a small smirk.

"What's that supposed to mean? Of course I have!" Athena replied with mock affront, turning to face him with a smile of her own.

And then, suddenly, he felt her hands engulf one of his, which had been curled into a fist on the arm of the chair, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"But anyway, I wanted to be here to support you… You've had to face everything by yourself for so long… So, I just wanted to remind you that you're not alone anymore!"

Simon could only stare back at her with wide eyes. He suddenly felt hyper-aware of the warmth of her hands around his… and of the curious gazes of the people around them, but he could not tear his eyes away from hers. Her blue eyes were bright with resolve and he suddenly felt like he was being sucked in, just like he used to when they were younger… he had always thought that her eyes were the clearest, brightest blue. Suddenly, he felt an odd wave of nervousness wash over him—just like the time when she had confronted him after his acquittal and his handcuffs had been taken off—and he had the sudden urge to yank his hand away.

Luckily, his finely honed motor control skills kicked in and he was able to suppress the impulse—which he was glad for, since he knew it would have been extremely rude and hurtful. Instead, he just turned his face away, no longer able to keep her gaze, even though he could normally stare down the devil in court, and murmured: "Thank you".

* * *

Hello again! As you may have guessed from the chapter title, the rest of the story will be divided into months. Each chapter will provide glimpses into Blackquill's life during its respective month. However, since I had originally planned this as more of a drabble series, each chapter's events will be pretty scattered and may only cover two or three days of the month. Some chapters may have more 'days', some may have less.

Also, I took creative liberty with speculating on the Blackquill's family history (e.g. making them half-Japanese and from Hawaii). Well, technically, he IS Japanese… in the Japanese version of the game, haha. But, since the North American localization puts them in Los Angeles, I thought it made way more sense to have Simon and Aura be half Japanese-half English (but born in the United States). My justification for this is that the Blackquills, even for AA standards, look rather East Asian (especially Aura), so it doesn't seem too farfetched to me. This would also explain (in the non-lamest way possible) why Simon is so fixated on being a samurai and randomly attaches the "dono" suffix to people's names. This would be premised on his mother being a very traditional Japanese woman and it rubbed off on him (and it didn't help that he loved samurai movies as a kid), but since his father was British, he also speaks like he just walked out of an Elizabethan-era novel (or something). Also, I picked Hawaii, because… well, if anyone has ever been to Hawaii/knows a little about it, it's pretty self-evident, haha. In addition, it's relatively far away, so it explains why the game never makes any mention of their parents (and I didn't want to write them off as dead, because it already feels like _everyone's_ parents are dead/in jail in AA).

Anyway, I won't be able to update for the next 2-3 weeks, but I should have the next chapter up around mid-December. Thanks in advance for your patience and please leave a review with your thoughts and/or constructive criticism!

-FireEdge


	3. February

Disclaimer: I do not own Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies.

Warning: There are some non-explicit, but obvious, sexual references in this chapter.

* * *

_**De novo**_

**Chapter 2: February**

* * *

_**February 2, 2028 – 6:29 AM  
Aura Blackquill's Condo**_

_He forced back a groan as he felt her presence disappear and he opened his eyes to glare his protest. However, all he saw was a flash of bright eyes twinkling mischievously before they disappeared. A split second later his eyes were forced closed again as he felt pleasurable warmth consume him. He could hear his breathing become more ragged with each movement she made, and his body began tensing up as he felt that inevitable sensation building up. Over his own pants, he could hear her short and breathy grunts and then he heard her moan and he didn't think he could hold it in any longer and his mouth parted slightly as he gasped out: "A—"_

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP! BEEP-BEEP-BEEP! BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!

Simon's eyes shot open as his alarm went off, and despite the fact that he had been sleeping soundly and had certainly not been engaging in any kind of physical activity, he could feel his pulse racing. As he hit the 'off' button on the alarm clock on the lamp-table behind his head, his mind regained focus from his abrupt wake-up and he realized that he had just had an erotic dream… and that his body in real life was in the exact same condition as it had been in his dream. He ground his teeth together in frustration and pressed his head back against the pillow on the couch he was sleeping on as he realized that his 'situation' was not going to fix itself and the aching need was even stronger now than it had been when he was asleep.

He would be lying to himself (and sound like a complete idiot) if he denied that he had never had erotic dreams, before… He remembered a span of time in particular, during his late teen years, where they had been rather frequent—he blamed it on the stress he had endured throughout law school. Even during his time in the clink, the number of occasions where he had needed to relieve himself—sometimes out of necessity, and sometimes out of pure boredom—was beyond counting. However, he could not remember a time—at least, not recently—where he had felt as _frustrated_ and needy as he did now. What was it about that dream?! His memory of it was already hazy, and he could not remember any details, except for how _good_ he had felt and how badly he wanted her—but who was that in his dream anyway?

Almost without even realizing it, Simon moved his hand under the waistband of his pyjama pants and boxers and let out a breath through clenched teeth as he began to relieve himself. It wasn't long before he felt his head cloud with pleasure and he didn't notice the front door to Aura's condo open until he heard the door swing shut with a loud 'click'.

His eyes snapped open as he heard footsteps and he was on his feet a second later… except that he had failed to remove his hand from underneath his pants as he did so and his awkward attempt at standing only resulted in him falling off of the couch as the intruder moved from the hallway and into the living room.

"_What_ in the world are you doing, Simon?" a familiar voice drawled.

The black-haired prosecutor looked up from his position on the floor and met the one-eyebrow-raised stare of the owner of the condo. However, her quizzical gaze quickly turned into one of surprise and slight disgust as her eyes had caught sight of the tent in his pants—which was rapidly collapsing, but not fast enough, apparently. This expression quickly transformed into a condescending smirk.

"Ahahahahaha! Did I walk in on you having a wet dream, little brother? Ahahahaha! This is almost as good as that time Mom found those used condoms in the trash can in your room when you were fifteen and freaked out because she thought you were 'dishonouring' women left and right! It was even better when you had to admit that you were only playing with them on yourself, ahahahaha!"

Simon felt the heat rise to his face as his sister burst into laughter and walked towards her home office. Though she had clearly dismissed him and had left the conversation, he could still hear her snickering and he could not help yelling out: "SILENCE!"

Of course, she only laughed louder. Aura never had been one to cooperate with lawyers.

* * *

_**February 2, 2028 – 7:08 AM  
Prosecutor's Building – Prosecutor Blackquill's Office**_

Normally, he didn't arrive at his office until 7:30 AM or 8:00 AM, but today he had left Aura's condo as quickly as possible. For the first time since the pronouncement of his elder sister's sentence, he wished that she had not been given that conditional sentence…

Though Aura's actions would normally warrant a minimum of five years of jail time, Apollo Justice had managed to argue for a reduced sentence, mostly based on her non-malicious motives and the 'necessity' of her actions. Combined with her admission of guilt and a genuine display of remorse—though Simon knew she had forced it, but he hadn't planned on pointing that out—her sentence had been reduced to two years, less the time she had already spent in detention.

However, on top of this, it had also been arranged that Aura would be allowed to work for two days a week in preparation for the HAT-2 re-launch (accompanied by constant police supervision, of course).

He had been very pleased with this result and was especially glad that she would be able to maintain her job, more or less. Today, however, the self-pitying part of him wished that she had been forced to stay in prison and not have been allowed to return to her condo to retrieve some paperwork she had left there and so that she wouldn't have walked in on his compromising situation. It had been a long, _long_ time since he had felt so embarrassed. It was even worse than those times in court where he had been made a fool of by a witness' perjury…

However, as the thought crossed his mind, he immediately felt a stab of guilt. How could he possibly wish for his own sister's imprisonment? Especially since the reason she was even in prison was because of him. Throughout most of his life, a lot of what she had done was for his sake. After all, they wouldn't even be in Los Angeles if she had not convinced their parents to let them move, and she had worked long and hard hours at two part-time jobs to pay for the rent on their apartment and her school tuition so that he could focus exclusively on his studies.

Still, he _had _told Aura that he was going to move out of her condo immediately… despite the fact that he had no other accommodations. He supposed he could always go back, but though he no longer felt any more annoyance towards his sister, his pride dictated that he would not go crawling back to her to admit defeat. In any case, he figured it was about time he stopped leeching off of her condo and found a place of his own.

Looking up from his desk, Simon glanced around his office before settling his gaze on the large, leather sofa in the middle of his office. It was a new addition to his furniture set that he had acquired last week when one of the other prosecutors, Gaspen Payne, had been suspended by the Chief Prosecutor following his investigation into Payne's unethical behaviour. The furniture in Payne's office had been put up for grabs for the other offices on the 10th floor, and Simon had, on a whim, decided to take the couch.

_Well, it looks like that couch is going to be put into good use…_

* * *

_**February 4, 2028 – 12:03 PM  
Prosecutor's Building – Prosecutor Blackquill's Office**_

She was late. They had agreed to meet at his office at noon, and she was late… by three minutes.

Simon scoffed at himself in disgust as he realized that he was glaring at the clock and that he was acting like a buffoon. He forced himself to tear his eyes away from the offending object and focus on the papers in front of him. He should really finish prepping his notes for his court cases on Monday—he didn't particularly want to do any work over the weekend—however, focusing was proving to be difficult. Perhaps it was because the couch he had been sleeping on had not been as comfortable as the one at Aura's—or at all for that matter. Or perhaps it was because he had barely left his office for the past two days… No wonder the animals in zoos went stir crazy.

"Ready for lunch, Simon?!" Athena exclaimed as his door practically slammed open.

A month ago, her impromptu entrance would have made him jump, but he had since become accustomed to her inability to knock.

"You're late," he replied, a little more testily than he had intended, as he set aside his papers and stood up.

"Late?" Athena echoed with surprise, pulling out her cell phone to look at the time before raising her eyes back up to meet his. "But it's only 12:03… Wow, Simon, you look terrible… The bags under your eyes were only starting to go away when I saw you last week, and now they're back full force!"

"… It has been a long week…"

"And you know, you should probably air out your office a bit…" she added, taking a sniff of the air before her—which made her look somewhat ridiculous, he thought, but he found it oddly fascinating as he watched the young woman's nose crinkle. "Not saying that your office smells _bad_… But if just smells like... you? As in: you sitting in this room for hours and hours with no air circulation…"

He wasn't quite sure if he should be offended by her remark… after all, despite the fact that he was now living out of his office, he _had_ bathed every day by going to the nearby fitness facility where he had signed up for a membership. He made a point to keep up his daily work-outs as he had during his imprisonment.

"Stop your jabbering and let's go," he replied instead and strode towards the door.

"Geez, you must be hungry, you're so grumpy today," Athena muttered, and he heard her footsteps behind him as he exited the room.

However, after taking several steps down the hallway, he realized that the young defence attorney was no longer with him. With a sigh, he turned around and approached his still open office. Standing in the doorway, he saw that Athena was poking at something in the far corner of his office. It took him but a second to realize that she was examining his closed suitcase and a box where he kept his blanket and pillow during the day.

As if sensing his presence, Athena turned to face him.

"Simon… Why is your suitcase in the office? And why is there a blanket and pillow?" she asked.

He remained silent for a moment, weighing her questions in his mind. How was he supposed to explain to her that he had moved out of Aura's condo out of embarrassment and a pathetic sense of pride?

"… … … I moved out of Aura's condo, and I have not acquired alternative accommodations… So, I am currently residing… here…." he replied.

"Huh? Why did you move out?" she asked in surprise.

"… …Hmph… They do not… allow pets…" he said, inwardly cringing at how pathetic his excuse sounded. However, even _thinking_ about the reason he was moving out while he was standing in front of her made a flush creep up his pale face.

"Aww, Simon, that's nothing to be embarrassed about! Did the landlord catch Taka trying to hone his talons on a wall or something?! No wonder you want to move out…" Athena exclaimed.

Though a part of him wanted to remind her that condos do not usually have landlords, her imagination seemed to be working in his favour, so he let it slide.

"Something along the lines of that… Regardless, let us depart; time is ticking away as we speak," he reminded her.

"Oh, right! But, have you been looked for another apartment yet? I mean, are you even allowed to live in the Prosecutor's Building?"

"I have not had the time to look… Though, now that it is the weekend, I suppose I should take the opportunity to do so," he said as they both excited his office and started down the hallway to the elevators. She did have a point though. The custodian in charge of his floor had not looked particularly impressed when he had seen him sleeping on the coach when he had come in to clean every night…

Hitting the call button, the elevator arrived a moment later with a 'ding'. As they stepped into the empty elevator, he glanced at Athena and saw that she seemed to be deep in thought, with her eyebrows drawn down slightly. The door of the elevator slid close and the noise seemed to draw her out of her thoughts and she turned towards him suddenly. He swore that he could practically see her bright blue eyes twinkling with her excitement.

"Simon! I just remembered! My apartment complex has vacancies! You could move in there! I know it's a good place and I'm sure they allow pets because the lady down the hall from me has a cat!" she practically exclaimed. "And it's not too far from here, either! I can run here in 10 minutes flat!"

"… Hmph… Yes, I suppose that's an idea…" he murmured. It would certainly save him the trouble of running around the city looking for other apartments… He had been to her apartment the odd time for dinner and from what he remembered of her suite, it was a simple one-bedroom and would certainly be suitable for his needs. Though Taka lived primarily at the court house, it _would_ be nice to be able to take him home to keep him company for a few hours before the hawk went on his nightly hunts for prey.

And a small part of him couldn't help thinking that he'd be able to see Athena more frequently… They had been meeting up for lunch at least once or twice a week and he had often found himself looking forward to these outings. Perhaps it was because they were a welcome break from the monotony of a work day, or perhaps it was because it reminded him of happier times. Even now, seven years later, every time she came into his office—unannounced more often than not—it was reminiscent of the times where, as a little girl, Athena would poke her head into Dr. Cykes' office and asked if he wanted to play with her. Whenever she arrived at his office and asked if he wanted to go for lunch, he thought he saw the same expression—that little spark of hopeful eagerness—as when she was eleven.

"Great! The landlord is a decent guy, and I can even be your character reference!" she said excitedly, as she punched a fist into her other palm. "This will be so much fun! We'll be neighbours now! I could come to your house and borrow sugar and stuff!"

For the umpteenth time that morning, Simon decided against questioning her illogical train of thought. However, he couldn't help but smile a little. Even her reaction to when he said 'yes' was still the same.

* * *

_**February 14, 2028 – 11:12 PM  
Simon Blackquill's Apartment**_

DING DONG!

Simon glanced away from his small television—he had been catching up on the evening news broadcast—when he heard his doorbell ring. Who in the world would be at his door this late?

Opening the front door, he came face-to-face with a slightly red-faced and panting Athena. It appeared that she had been running… Though he couldn't imagine why, as she only lived two floors below him. "S-Simon… Happy… Happy… Valentine's… D-Day…!" she panted out before shoving a box at him.

His eyes widened as he stared at the proffered box. It was wrapped with a red ribbon and decorated with a familiar winking smiley face sticker. It was not like he had forgotten what Valentine's Day was, but it was most definitely not a holiday anyone ever brought up in the clink. No one at the Prosecutor's Office had mentioned anything either, not that he would expect them to. Though… now that he thought about it, Gavin's legal assistant _had_ seemed particularly stressed this morning. He had seen the young woman running around in the hallway, arms laden with boxes—he supposed that they had been chocolates, now that he was aware it was Valentine's Day.

Immediately after this thought, a more disconcerting one invaded his brain: Why was he getting Valentine's chocolates from Athena? However, he couldn't quite word the question, so instead he took the box and stepped to the side and gestured for her to come inside. She looked like she needed a glass of water.

The young woman beamed at him as she stepped in, and she had seemed to regain most of her breath as she sat down on the bar stool that was placed beside the counter that separated his kitchen and living room space. He placed a full glass of water before her and she gulped down the contents greedily.

"Ahh! That hit the spot!" she sighed contently as she placed the now empty glass down. "I just ran here from the office, and I wanted to try and keep up a sprint the whole way. It tired me out a little more than expected though."

"Why were you at the office so late?" he asked absently. He knew that she was not on a case at the moment, so he couldn't quite deduce why she would stay at the agency until now.

"Well, you remember Jinxie Tenma, right?"

Simon thought for a moment as he matched up the name with a face in his mind. The little scamp from Nine-Tails Vale. He still had the warding charm he had given her. He normally did not believe in superstition, but he thought it would be unlucky to throw away a yokai-warding charm, especially when she had sincerely given it to him. It now sat in the drawer in his bedside table—sometimes it seemed to work and he slept soundly.

"So, Jinxie came over earlier today with chocolates for Apollo! I was so surprised, because I thought she was terrified of him, let alone have a crush on him! Trucy couldn't believe it either, but then Jinxie said that she didn't like him… or at least not that way. She said that they were 'obligation' chocolates and that she wanted to give them to him as thanks for proving her father's innocence. She said it was a Japanese custom," Athena explained.

_Ah, I see now_, he thought to himself as he glanced at the box of chocolates he had placed on the kitchen counter. In Japanese tradition, February 14th was a day where women gave men chocolates. However, unlike Western culture, chocolate was not only given to one's significant other or love interest. Obligation chocolates were usually given out to coworkers, bosses and other male acquaintances.

"So, you know, I thought it was a really neat tradition… And since you're Japanese too, I thought you would appreciate it… and… I owe you so much… Chocolates don't exactly make up for seven years in jail, but I figured it was a start," she added quietly, idly playing with her ponytail.

Before he could stop himself, Simon reached across the counter and grasped the hand that was tugging at her hair. He gently moved her hand down to the counter top and with his free hand, he ruffled her hair and lightly stroked her head with his thumb.

Athena's eyes widened as she stared at him, and for a second he thought maybe he had crossed the line, but he forced himself to return her gaze. He wanted to say something—to explain to her that she owed him nothing, or even tell her 'thank you for the chocolates'—but he felt the words catch in his throat, and he only hoped that his eyes could convey what his voice could not.

Then, she smiled and he saw that she was tearing up and then suddenly he felt the air go out of him as she pulled his upper body over the counter—he was pretty sure he had just bruised his hip bone when it banged into his side of the counter—and into a tight hug. When had she become so strong?!

"Thanks, Simon… I really missed you during those years, you know…" she murmured against his shoulder.

And, at that moment, he didn't really mind that he couldn't breathe properly because of the awkward position he was in, or that Athena's glass had fallen to the ground and had probably broken.

* * *

_**February 15, 2028 – 12:41 PM  
Simon Blackquill's Apartment**_

Briiiing. Briiing. Briiing. Click!

"Simon! It's so rare that you call me! What's up?"

"Athena…. Would you care to explain _why in the bloody hell_ I was knocked out cold for _twelve hours_ after eating one of your chocolates?! I have only just now awakened and am _very late_ for work."

"Ahhhh, oh no! I'M SO SORRY! I must've put way too much of that yokai-exorcizing powder in there!"

"Yokai-_WHAT_?!"

"Well, you see, when Apollo ate one of Jinxie's chocolates he just went out like a light! And Jinxie said that she had put this yokai-exorcizing powder in there to expel the demon out of him! Then, we found out it was really made out of this herb that helps with insomnia, and since I know you've been having trouble sleeping I thought I'd put a little bit into the chocolates when I made them. But, uh, I guess I put too much…?"

"… … … … … … …"

"… Um, Simon? Are you still there?"

"… I am trying to extract the logic out of that statement and understand how in the world you thought that drugging someone was a good idea..."

"Huh? Wait… Are you calling me stupid?! That's not very nice you know! I mean, I'm—"

"I am going to hang up now, Athena; I need to go to work. And I'm going to throw out those chocolates."

"WHAT?! I WORKED SO HARD ON THOSE! AND DON'T YOU DARE HANG UP! I'M NOT DONE YELLING YET—"

Click!

* * *

Well, I hope the beginning wasn't _too_ silly (who am I kidding, really?), but the idea was just too tempting. I also wanted to kick him out of Aura's condo, and it was just fun to have some typical sibling interaction with them. I think Simon may have been a bit OOC, but the poor guy was caught off-guard and I like to think he can let his walls down a bit with Aura.

And, I know, I know, Valentine's Day chocolates is so cheesy, but I seriously just wanted an excuse to drug Simon (and I guess give them a quick fluffy moment), haha. So, I guess this chapter really was all about my silly ideas to embarrass the poor guy. I promise there will be more real substance next chapter…

I figure now is also a good time to warn you all that my updating is notoriously sporadic, and may not be consistent come the new year when the new school semester starts (Though I seem to be on a good roll with this story so far). I will do my best to have new chapters up as soon as possible, but until then I hope you'll all be patient and stick around (because I can guarantee that this story WILL be finished sooner or later, and hopefully on the sooner side). Thanks for reading, and please drop a review with your thoughts!

-FireEdge


	4. March

Disclaimer: I do not own Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies.

* * *

_**De novo**_

**Chapter 3: March**

* * *

_**March 3, 2028 – 12:23 PM  
Prosecutor's Building – Cafeteria**_

One thing that Simon Blackquill was grateful for was that the cafeteria at the Prosecutor's Building actually had edible food—in fact it was actually rather delicious sometimes, depending what was on the menu. He rarely had time—or the interest—to cook and pack his own meals, so this was truly a blessing.

Today, he had loaded up his tray: a bowl of cream of mushroom soup, a dinner roll, Friday's special of lemon pepper salmon with a side of marinara-coated pasta and a large brownie—he hated to admit it to anyone, but he had a sweet tooth, especially for chocolate, and he had made sure no one was around when he had swiped it onto his tray. He usually did not eat this much, but the boredom of a morning of bail court proceedings apparently intensified his hunger.

As he finished paying and took a few steps away from the till, he noticed exactly how full his tray was. Usually he only bought something to go—like a sandwich—before he quickly retreated to the privacy of his office to eat (and work, usually). However, it would be absolutely ridiculous for him to walk through the lobby and then onto the elevator and up to the 10th floor with his food-laden tray. With that thought came the terrible realization that he would have to eat his lunch in the cafeteria.

For a split second, he contemplated dumping the contents of the tray into a garbage can—except for maybe that brownie, since it was portable and certainly not because he wanted it that much—and walking out of the large, crowded room. However, he quickly discarded the thought as rubbish. He had never cared about what other people thought of him—after all, he did wear a jinbaori despite the fact that he knew it drew looks—and it wasn't as if he was shy of eating in front of other people, considering he was forced to eat elbow-to-elbow at the cafeteria tables in prison with the other inmates every day, but for some reason he really dreaded having to eat in this cafeteria full of his peers. Maybe it was because he was sick of half of the Prosecutor's Office shooting him furtive looks, despite the fact that it had been over two months since he'd been pronounced not guilty. He didn't know if they always stared at him—and often scurried away when he caught their gaze—because of his appearance in general or if they were still gossiping about him.

Since his official return to the Prosecutor's Office, he had kept to himself as much as possible so that he could fade out of the limelight, but he still caught whispers here and there. It wasn't so much that the rumours wounded him in any way, but they _were_ irritating. He was quite sick of people questioning his innocence and his motives—many wondered if he had bribed the Chief Prosecutor to stage the whole retrial of UR-1, and even more wondered if a long-term convict was really fit to stand as a prosecutor again. However, what really bothered him about all of this inane babbling was when they involved Athena—she did not deserve to be talked about, to have her competency questioned, to have her reputation tarnished by their baseless blabbering.

"Herr Blackquill!" a cheery voice sounded behind him suddenly.

Simon turned around and came face-to-face with a blond-haired man in a dark maroon-coloured jacket. He had been so deep in thought that he had not noticed his approach.

"Prosecutor Gavin," Simon acknowledged with a nod. He had only spoken to the other prosecutor a handful of times, mostly to question him during the murder case of Professor Courte, but considering their offices shared the same floor, he did see him quite often.

"You have been standing there for quite a while. Considering it is lunchtime, it may be a while before a table opens up. Why don't you join me at my table? We have room for one more," Gavin offered with a smile. If it wasn't for his impeccable training, Simon might've flinched from the shine that reflected off his teeth—he wondered if the other man had it artificially whitened.

"That won't be necessary," Simon replied automatically, without even bothering to think it over. The last thing he wanted was to chit-chat with the other man and whoever was at his table.

"Don't be silly, I insist," Gavin said with a dismissive wave, before he placed a hand on Simon's shoulder and gently nudged him towards a nearby table. If he hadn't been holding his tray, he would have been sorely tempted to use his iaijutsu on the blond-haired man.

However, despite his reluctance to give in, Simon really did not see what other recourse he had. He needed to eat his food so that he could get back to work, and while he had no desire to socialize, he did not exactly want to senselessly insult Gavin by turning down his offer when, as Gavin had remarked, the entire cafeteria was full and he really had nowhere else to sit.

So, Simon Blackquill soon found himself standing before a table with two young women staring up at him and Klavier Gavin.

"I don't believe you have met," Gavin remarked. "Prosecutor Blackquill, please allow me to introduce two of our colleagues. They both work on the 6th floor, so you probably haven't seen them before. This lovely fräulein is Shao-Feng Hu. It is her first year here and her first year in the US for that matter! She is from the Republic of Zheng Fa."

Gavin gestured towards the more petite woman at the table. She had light brown, almost blonde hair that was partially swept up into a bun on her head and secured by hair chopsticks. She appeared to be wearing a Chinese—or was it Zheng Faian?—style dress with a red suit jacket over it. However, his eyes were particularly drawn by the intricate scarf she wore. It was printed with what appeared to be a peacock feather design that was absurdly attention-grabbing.

"It is nice to meet you, Prosecutor Blackquill," Hu replied in careful English. She had perfect diction, but her accent was pronounced, though not enough to make her at all incomprehensible. The young woman extended a slender hand.

"Likewise," he answered curtly. He set his tray down and gripped her offered hand. Though she was slight in frame, she had a surprisingly firm handshake.

"And, this is—"

"I am perfectly capable of introducing myself," the other woman cut in.

Simon's eyes flickered over to other woman seated next to Hu. She had poker-straight, dark brown hair that was pulled into a tight ponytail. She wore a plain and impeccably kept navy blue suit that was without any embellishments.

"Fiera Gellato," she said shortly, fixing him with icy blue eyes. A lesser man would have flinched from her piercing gaze.

Simon nearly scoffed at her poor attempt to intimidate him—didn't she know who she was dealing with? However, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when she then promptly turned back to her food. She had not even offered a handshake.

As if appearing to sense the tension, Gavin sat down across from the two young women and waved a hand at the chair next to him. Simon reluctantly sat down in front of Hu as Gavin immediately started a conversation.

"So, Shao-Feng, you were telling me earlier about your ring?"

"Oh yes! My boyfriend—I mean he is my fiancé now—bought it for me," Shao-Feng replied happily. "Isn't it gorgeous?"

The young Zheng Faian woman held out her left hand for Gavin to admire. Even Simon's eyes widened a bit at the size of the diamond.

"It is rather big is it not? A little too large for my hand, but how can I say no to him?" she said dismissively with a chuckle. However, Simon's trained eye could tell that she was ravishing in the attention. It was completely obvious to him that she was absolutely appreciating the chance to show it off.

"Your fiancé is an actor, you said?" Gavin said, turning her hand in his and admiring the shine from the diamond.

"Yes! I moved to America with him, when he was recruited for his American debut! You should watch his television show! It is very good! It is called 'Island of Love'!"

Now that the attention was off of him, Simon quickly turned to his food and began eating it as quickly as he could without being too obvious. The sooner he could finish, the sooner he could get away from them. From what he could tell so far, he had no interest in becoming friendly with these people. While Gavin seemed bearable—not that he had a choice of avoiding him anyway considering his office was three doors down from his—he was not particularly impressed by the other two prosecutors. Hu seemed rather air-headed and Gellato obviously didn't like him either—though she seemed somewhat stand-offish in general, he had a feeling she had probably heard one too many of those rumours. Either way, he wasn't disappointed in the least. He had long since discarded the need for constant human companionship—Taka was much more pleasant.

As he chewed on a mouthful of salmon, an image of a cheerful smile and a flick of orange hair flashed through his mind. Except for her. She was an exception.

* * *

_**March 14, 2028 – 5:32 PM  
Prosecutor's Building – Prosecutor Blackquill's Office**_

Simon clicked the 'Print' button as he finally finished writing up the progress report he had to hand in to the Chief Prosecutor. Progress reports were something demanded by Edgeworth that Simon did not recall the previous Chief Prosecutor asking for. All of the prosecutors had to hand in a quarterly report with a summary of the work they had done. Simon had a feeling that Edgeworth was using them to narrow down on suspicious behaviour.

As he waited for the document to finish printing, Simon's eyes flicked to his day planner. It seemed that he did not have any cases to prepare for tomorrow, which was a pleasant surprise. Perhaps he could actually relax a bit tonight and take Taka out for a fly. However, a split second later, as his eyes registered today's exact date, he doubled over his desk and clutched his chest.

Today was White Day. And he didn't have a gift to give to Athena.

_Calm yourself, you dotard_, Simon chided himself. White Day was a Japanese tradition where he was supposed to give a gift to those who had given him something on Valentine's Day (even if they were drugged)… and since they were in the United States, there was no way Athena would know about it… However, the mere thought of completely ignoring the tradition seemed dishonourable, considering the amount of effort and misguided good intentions Athena had put into making him those chocolates.

The dilemma was what to get her, though… Ideally he wanted to give her something she would actually appreciate, but he realized that he didn't really know what she liked anymore... Their weekly meetings had caused him to memorize her eating preferences, but beyond that he realized that all he knew about her superficial likes and dislikes were based on when she was eleven years old. Somehow, he didn't think she'd like a box of crayons any more.

Perhaps he should ask someone for advice… Another woman would certainly have some idea of what a girl Athena's age might like… However, the only woman he could think of was Aura… And there was no way in hell he was going to ask her for advice on something like this. He would never hear the end of it.

Maybe he would just take the typical way out and buy a box of white chocolates to give her—they were the most traditional White Day gift. Though it was completely unoriginal… But, then again, why was he putting so much thought into it anyway? It wasn't as if he needed to _impress_ her; she wasn't his girlfriend or lover.

The last thought made him frown. Even just saying it—or rather denying it—had put the inappropriate idea in his head: Athena as his girlfriend… or lover. And suddenly an even more inappropriate image flashed through his mind.

Even though he was not in court, Simon slammed both of his fists onto his desk and nearly yelled an objection… at himself. Feeling his face turn red with embarrassment at even thinking such a dishonourable thing—Athena was not even old enough to get into a bar and he was fairly positive she saw him as an older brother (after all, that's all he had been when they were younger). Though, a small voice in his head quipped that she was more mature than her age—most of the time—and that, really, age was but a number in the legality of anything, _technically_. After all, he had seen enough cases where the age of an accused was the hot topic of debate and whether they were considered old enough to understand their actions—what was the difference _really_ between 17 and 18, or 18 and 21… or 18 and 28?

The document had finished printing by this point, and Simon snatched it up quickly and aggressively clamped a paper clip onto it before quickly striding out of his office. He would hand in his report to the Chief Prosecutor immediately. It would be a welcome distraction from his disturbing train of thought.

He walked past the elevator—he did not want to wait as waiting would entail time to think. So, Simon found himself striding up the stairs to the 12th floor, which was by no means the top floor of the Prosecutor's Building, but the Chief Prosecutor had declined to change offices and had simply swapped the name plate on his current office. He found the exercise invigorating and the mindless repetition was doing wonders for occupying his brain.

Finally reaching the 12th floor, Simon pulled open the door, and stepped into the hallway. He took a moment to compose himself and idly brush a non-existent fleck of dust off of his surcoat before he purposefully continued down the hallway. When he was in front of the Chief Prosecutor's office and about to knock, he heard the rumble of Edgeworth's voice through the door, though he could not make out what he was saying. A moment later, the door opened and he heard a distinctly feminine voice say in a sing-song voice: "Okaaaaay, I will! Bye-bye, _Edgey-poo_! MUAH!"

A moment later, a soft body collided into him and bounced off his solid stature and onto the floor. Simon had been too stunned by what he had just heard that he had uncharacteristically failed to notice that a woman had tried to leave the office when the door had opened, and hence walked right into him.

"My apologies," Simon blurted out as he leaned down to pull the woman up onto her feet.

"Oh, uh, thanks… Sorry I didn't you see you there," she replied as she straightened her… kimono?

Simon quickly looked the woman up and down. She was small of stature, perhaps just over five feet, with long black hair tied in a small topknot with the rest flowing down her back. It was also adorned with various purple beads. She was wearing a long, but loose-fitting kimono and around her neck was an intricate beaded necklace with a large magatama. The outfit looked familiar, and it took him but a moment to register that it was very similar to that of Pearl Fey, the girl he had seen during the Shipshape Aquarium case.

"Maya! What did I _just_ say to you?! I said to be careful and the first thing you do is walk into someone!"

Suddenly, Edgeworth was standing next to the woman—Maya, apparently. He grabbed her shoulders and turned her a bit as if he was examining her.

"I'm okay, Miles! Stop fussing like an old woman!" Maya rolled her eyes before flicking his hands off of her.

She then turned towards Simon and smiled.

"No harm done, right? My name is Maya Fey, Master of Kurain Village," she said, giving a short bow with both of her hands pressed together. Almost unconsciously, Simon imitated her and returned the bow, but bowing much lower—it had been drilled into him by his mother that he was to give a bow down to his waist for someone of high stature. Though he had only a general knowledge of the mysterious Kurain Village—it had been a hot topic about a decade ago when he had been in law school—he knew that her position should be treated with respect.

"My name is Simon Blackquill. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Oh wow, you sure are formal! I haven't had anyone bow like that to me since I first became Master! And that was just because they _had_ to at the ceremony!" she remarked. "Geez, Miles, did you infect _everyone_ in your office with your stiffness?"

"Maya..." Edgeworth growled in a tone Simon had heard before. It usually meant someone was going to get their pay cut.

"I'm just kidding! Anyway, it was nice meeting you, but I'd better get going!" she said with a laugh before darting around him and out of the door. Simon was impressed by how fast she could move despite being dressed in a kimono.

"Ahem… Prosecutor Blackquill," Edgeworth said at last, as Simon turned back to face his superior. "I imagine you are unhurt, but I will apologize for Ms. Fey's bumping into you… She can be a bit clumsy."

"As Fey-dono said: 'no damage done'. Though I suppose I should be the one to apologize for… interrupting your…" Simon paused, unsure what to call it. He had almost said 'tryst', but decided that he really didn't want to get fired after only working for two months and instead said: "Visit."

Suddenly, Simon saw an odd expression cross the Chief Prosecutor's face. The older man was quick to school his features again, but it had not been quick enough to hide from Simon's eyes. The black-clad prosecutor almost smirked. So, even the Chief Prosecutor could be embarrassed. Still, he supposed if _anyone _called him Blackey-poo he would be mortified as well.

"What can I do for you, Prosecutor Blackquill?" Edgeworth asked instead, settling down on his high-backed chair.

"My progress report, sir," Simon answered, handing him the printed document.

"Excellent, thank you," Edgeworth replied, taking the papers from him. "Please have a seat. Would you like some tea? Ms. Fey brought me an excellent blend that they only make in Kurain Village."

"I would love to try some," Simon said as he sat down opposite of the Chief Prosecutor. As stereotypical as he realized it was, he did enjoy a good cup of tea.

The other man stood and walked the few steps over to his windowsill where an elaborate tea set was laid out. As he watched the older man pour two cups of tea, he realized he could not help wondering what his relationship was with the Master of Kurain. Simon was not one to gossip—after all, he disliked being the topic of it, so why would he be the one to spread it—but it just fascinated him that someone as stoic and formal as the Chief Prosecutor could be so easily undone by someone. He had never seen the man as flustered as he was earlier when Maya Fey had fallen to the ground.

"If I may ask, how are you acquainted with the Master of Kurain? Kurain is rather far from here, is it not? And pardon me if I'm wrong, but I would not have thought of you as the type to take a vacation there," Simon asked casually.

"I have been to Kurain a number of times, actually," Edgeworth replied as he set the tea cups down on his desk. "Milk? Sugar?"

"No thank you," Simon replied.

"Ah, someone who appreciates the true taste of tea," the other man remarked with a small smile. "However, I did not meet Ms. Fey at Kurain Village. Believe it or not, she was working as a legal assistant for Phoenix Wright for a number of years. I met her through him."

"That _is_ rather surprising," Simon said. A spirit medium acting as legal assistant? And for Wright-dono no less. It was certainly not what he was expecting.

The younger prosecutor lifted the tea cup to his mouth and took a sip. The tea had a strong and earthy taste, almost like a pu'er, but there was something distinctly different about it. However, he could not quite place what it was. Over the rim of the tea cup, he could see that as the Chief Prosecutor drank his tea, he had noticeably relaxed.

"The tea is delicious. It has very robust taste," Simon remarked casually, putting the tea cup down.

"Yes, I agree. I find it very invigorating when I am fatigued," Edgeworth said with a nod and a small smile. "I think Ms. Fey knows that I drink it often when I'm working late. She always brings enough of it with her to restock me for a year."

"That is very gracious of her. She seems to be a kind-hearted woman," Simon replied, leaning back in the chair. At that moment, his eyes caught sight of something at the foot of Edgeworth's desk. It appeared to be a crumpled paper bag.

"Yes, well, a way to a man's heart is through his stomach, or so they say," Edgeworth chuckled.

"Sir, it would appear there is a bag of fast-food wrappers on your floor," Simon remarked, as he leaned down and picked up the bag from the floor and held it up to the other man.

"Urk! Maya…" Edgeworth growled as he saw the bag. Simon was certain he saw a vein twitch in the older man's forehead. He quickly took the bag from Simon, crumpled it up and tossed it into his garbage can as he muttered: "Really, they might as well say: 'The way to a woman's heart is through her stomach'! I swear I've met more women with voracious appetites than men!"

Well, if that wasn't all a confirmation of their relationship, he didn't know what was. However, what the other man said sparked an idea in Simon's head. Women with voracious appetites… Athena had always eaten like a bird when she was young, but recently he saw that she was quite capable of eating nearly as much as he could. He supposed that it was because she exercised quite frequently. However, the amount of cake she could eat hadn't changed. The young Athena had always devoured any type of cake and asked for seconds. Last week, he remembered that they had visited a small café, where the young woman had ordered two large slices of strawberry shortcake and finished them both before he had even drunk half of his Americano. And with that thought, he realized he knew exactly what to get Athena for White Day.

"Excuse me, sir, but I just remembered I have a previous engagement I need to attend to," Simon said, glancing at the clock. He needed to get to a bakery or café before they closed.

"Of course. I will review your report and forward you any comments I may have," Edgeworth replied with a nod.

"Thank you for the tea and conversation," Simon answered. "Have a good evening, sir."

Who would've thought the Chief Prosecutor would be the one to unwittingly give him the inspiration he needed for Athena's White Day gift?

* * *

_**March 14, 2028 – 7:41 PM  
Athena Cykes' Apartment**_

"Simon!" Athena exclaimed as the door swung open. "What are you doing here?"

"May I come in?" he asked, shifting the box in his hand nervously.

"Of course! It's a biiiit messy in here, though, I haven't had a chance to clean everything yet…" she replied, stepping aside to let him inside her apartment.

Simon moved his way to the small, round table she had set up in her living room, dining room area and set down the small box. He noticed that the television was on and was currently broadcasting some kind of television show. It appeared to be some kind of drama, though he couldn't fathom what. A man dressed like a cowboy outfit and was examining a cow, while a woman wearing a red bandana was speaking to him with a worried look on her face.

"Oh, I'll just turn that off. It's a re-run anyway, the new episode isn't coming out until Thursday," Athena remarked as she caught his gaze. "You know, the main guy character kinda reminds me of you! You both have this dark and brooding personality. He's also kinda intimidating looking and keeps to himself, but when you get to know him he's really a big softie! And he loves animals! The main heroine of the show is totally falling in love with him right now, but there's this epic love triangle going on with them and the beautiful rich girl! But you know, he's kinda way hotter than you, but don't take that personally. You should totally watch it sometime! It's super popular right now, so I bet it'd give you a lot to talk about at the office! It's called 'Island of Love'!"

"… I think I will pass on the offer," Simon remarked dryly. He wasn't quite sure what it was about all of these television shows that got her so worked up. She seemed to be into one or another these days.

"Oh… Okay…" she replied dejectedly. However, she seemed to recover a moment later. "So, what's with the box?"

"Athena… In Japanese tradition, on March 14, men are supposed to give a gift to women who gave them something on Valentine's Day. It is called White Day. This is my White Day gift to you," he said, gesturing at the cardboard box he had just set down.

"Oh, Simon! You didn't have to do that!" Athena replied, a surprised expression on her face. "But… I thought you hated the chocolates… and, uh, sorry again about drugging you…"

"… I did not _hate_ the chocolates… They were actually quite delicious, despite the negative… side effects," Simon said, grimacing a bit as he recalled his unpleasant morning-after.

"Really? They tasted good?" the young woman asked with a big smile. "I'm really glad to hear that!"

He could not help return her smile a little, as she beamed back at him with slightly flushed cheeks. It was at that moment that he realized she was wearing casual clothing, and not the yellow suit that he was used to seeing. She had on a pair of gray capri sweatpants and a pale yellow t-shirt with a v-neck… a rather low v-neck he remarked uncomfortably. He quickly snapped his attention towards the box on the table.

"Please, open it," he said, gesturing at the box.

"Okay!" Athena untied the ribbon holding the box closed and pulled the top off carefully. "Oh! A cake! It's beautiful! And I love the drawing! Hahaha, your skills haven't changed even after seven years!"

After visiting about five different bakeries, he had finally managed to find the cake he was looking for. It was a simple strawberry shortcake. However, he had requested that it be decorated with additional strawberries dipped in white chocolate to make it more White Day-themed. Afterwards, he had bought a candy writer and drawn on the cake himself. He was thankful for his dexterity, though he knew his drawing skills were lacking.

When he had bought the cake, he had recalled the times when he would draw pictures with Athena and how he had tried to sketch a portrait of her once. Even though it had been absolutely abysmal, the young Athena had loved it and demanded to keep it even though he wanted to scrap it out of embarrassment. He remembered being told by Dr. Cykes several days later that Athena had taped it up in her bedroom.

So, he had attempted to recreate that drawing she had seemed to like so much. He was fairly positive that it looked exactly the same as it had seven years ago.

"Thank you, Simon! I love it! You even picked my favourite cake flavour!" Athena said, giving him a tight hug. A moment later, she let go and flashed him a grin. "Hold on a second!"

Then, she disappeared into her bedroom and came out a moment later with a piece of paper which she handed to him. It was the drawing he had been thinking of, though the worse for wear since he had last seen it.

"You know, Simon… I actually think your drawing skills might have gotten worse, now that I look at it again…"

* * *

With this chapter, I really wanted to explore Simon's work life a bit more, and to show his interactions with his co-workers. So, this chapter introduced the other prosecutors that Simon will mostly be interacting with throughout the story. I had a lot of fun coming up with Fiera and Shao-Feng's characters, I hope to keep them consistent with AA character-style tendencies, haha. All three prosecutors will have a supporting role within the story, so look forward to awkward Simon trying to have friends (or frenemies?).

Also, yeah, I am one of those rare ones who think Edgeworth and Maya would make an awesome couple (like c'mon, Case 5 of T&T!) so this is just my desperate attempt to have them be together (sort of). They're just in some kind of long-distance relationship, haha.

By the way, the whole 'Island of Love' show is based on Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness/Sunshine Islands (which I guess I should disclaim here…) characters and story concept, but ultimately it's just a spoof of the typical romantic drama! I've been playing Sunshine Islands all of my winter break and just got obsessed with it, so of course it worked itself into here. If you're familiar with the characters, Athena's reference might be more amusing, haha.

Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Anyway, I'm not sure when the next update will be posted since I'm back to school again… Sigh. Thanks for reading though, and please leave a review with any thoughts and constructive criticism! I will do my best to have a new update out as soon as possible!

-FireEdge


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